Wire-tightener.



APPLICATION IILED JUNE 13,

J. PLINT.

WIRE TIGHTENER.

All/ Milf/leases;

Patented May 9, 1911.

nuire srarns Parana orion.

JESSE FLINT, OF COOL, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 GEORGE E.LUKENS, OF EAST AUBURN, CALIFORNIA.

WIRE-TIGI-ITENER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 191] Application filed .Tune 13, 1910. Serial No.566,505.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Jnssn FLIN'r, citizen of the United States, residingat Cool, in the county of Eldorado and State of California, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in lVireflightener-s, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to wire stretehers and tighteners especiallydesigned for stretching and tightening barbed wire.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, cheap, practicaldevice of this character.

The invention consists of the parts and the construction and combinationof parts as hereinafter more fully described and claimed, havingreference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a planview, Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation, Fig. 3 is a longitudinalsection of a grip member.

In the embodiment of the invention I employ two bars A-A of suitablesize and length and pivot them to a lever 2 on each side of a fulcrum 3;a clevis or the like L being attached to the fulcrum and having a chain5 adapted to be connected to a tree or any other suitable anchorage.

G is a carriage sliding on the two bars A-A and having a platformextension T provided with two holes, each adapted to receive a looselyfitting gripping b`ar 8. Each of these grips 8 has a perforation 9 alittle l larger than a bar A, and through which perforation a bar Aworks. A spring 10 acts on each grip to tilt it, so that ordinarily abar will be gripped when pressure is brought lengthwise in one directionon the bar, and when the bar is pulled in the opposite direction it willbe free to slide through the grip. The carriage 6 is of peculiar design,and preferably consists of a plate of sheet-metal bent at the rear endto form the flange l1, and at a point between its ends to form a flangel2 parallel with flange 1l; the two flanges 11-12 being perforated topass the bars A-A. The platform extension 7 is below the bars A-A andforms a guide and support for the grips 8. The springs 10 bear againstthe i I l I grips and against the wall or [lange 12 of the carriage.

In practice, one end of the device is anchored by the chain 5, and thewire to be stretched, represented at 1,3, is connected with the carriageby suitable means, as the hook 14. Then by working the lever 2 like awalking-beam the bars A are alternately reeiprocated, causing thecarriage G to move step by step toward the lever 2; the grips 8, byreason of the enlarged perforations 9, engaging the bars A and holdingthe carriage (i from slipping' back in the direction of the wire 13, butallowing the carriage `gradually to be worked forward toward the leverQ.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent isl. The combination in a wire stretcher. of a leverhaving a fulcrum` two bars pivoted to the lever on opposite sides of itsfulcrum, a carriage freely slidable on both bars, said carriage havingrtwo gripping devices, one to engage one bar and the other to engage theother bar` and means b v which ofn the oscillation of the lever thecarriage ad vanccs step by step along said bars.

2. The combination in a wire stretcher, of a lever having a fulcrum` twobars pivoted to the lever on opposite sides of its fulerum` a carriagefreely slidable on both bars` said carriage having two gripping devices.one to engage one bar and the other to engage the other bar. saidcarriage comprising a plate extending over both of the bars and havingflanges bent in tht` same direction and perforated to receive the bars.and one of said flanges having a platform portion bent parallel with thebars. said platform portion perforated. and said gripping devicessupported by said platform portion.

3. The combination in a wire tightener, of' a lever having a fulcrum,two rods pivoted to the lever on each side of' the fulcrum. a carriageslidable on the rods, said carriage comprising a plate with bent perf0rated flanges through which the rods pass, and said plate having aperforated platform extension, perforated gripping bars through whichsaid rods pass, said bars my hand in the presence of tWo subscribingloosely fitting the perforations in said plat- Witnesses. form extensionand sprins acting ao'ainst Y the carriage arid grippngbhars to pieventJESSE FLINT' 5 the latter gripping Said rodsv on the return Witnesses:

HENRY BROWN,

Stroke.

|` HARVEY BROWN.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set Copies of thispatent may beobtained for, five cen-ts each, by addressing che Commissioner ofPatents,

Washington, D. C.

